Turn the Captions on Now addresses public spaces barrier

Portland: Turn the Captions on Now has been formed to address a common barrier to the enjoyment of public spaces that many Portlanders face. When captioning is not turned on where a television is provided, there is an unseen barrier for the Deaf, people with hearing loss and all those who cannot hear over the noise.David Viers, a member of the Hearing Loss of America Association’s Portland Chapter, is seeking to address this with the Portland: Turn the Captions on Now campaign by gathering signatures and support to urge the City of Portland to require that captioning always be turned on where a television is in a public space. Similar campaigns are being conducted in other communities around the country.

In addition to the benefits this will provide to the Deaf and hard of hearing, this proposed ordinance will benefit the community by addressing common issues such as:

Noisy venues that make it difficult to hear the audio or receive important alerts;

Conveyance of important information in quiet environments where the audio is muted;

Increased comprehension for Limited English Proficient Portlanders; and

Boosting children’s reading skills while they watch their favorite shows.

The Portland Commission on Disability supports this initiative and sent a letter to City Council which expresses that mandatory captioning makes sense and accords with ADA Title II and III best practices. The letter also noted that a similar ordinance has been in effect in San Francisco for seven years.

Women with physical disabilities asked to participate in UMass survey

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) is conducting a survey among women with physical or mobility disabilities about their needs around the time of pregnancy. Physical disability refers to total or partial limitations in a person's ability to walk or to use their arms and hands.

UMMS is asking mothers with physical disabilities who gave birth to a child within the last 10 years to complete this survey. The survey asks questions about the care received during a woman’s last pregnancy and will take approximately 20 minutes. Participation is voluntary. Participants can skip any question they do not want to answer and they can stop at any time. To provide anonymity, the survey does not ask for a name or contact information and survey answers will be combined with responses from other survey participants. The information provided will be limited to people who have a need to review this information.

To find out about eligibility, visit the survey website and answer a few brief screening questions at http://survey.umassmed.edu/moms_disabilities. Women who would prefer to complete the survey with the phone, may call 1-888-368-7157 to speak to the research staff. If someone has questions, concerns, or complaints about this survey, the research team may be contacted at 508-856-8346.

HLAA-Portland meeting features health and hearing loss April 20

The Hearing Loss Association of America – Portland Chapter meeting will feature Dr. Eric Frederick speaking about how various aspects of a person’s health affects hearing loss. The meeting is April 20, starting at 6:30 pm, on the Legacy Good Samaritan Campus in the Wilcox Building, Room ACR 102, in northwest Portland.

Dementia, aging, medications, diseases can all affect, or be affected by, hearing loss. When he last spoke to the group in 2013, Frederick talked about a correlation between dementia and untreated hearing loss. He'll include an update on that and there will be time for questions and answers.

Metered parking is available on the street and in the hospital’s parking structures. There are now gates to enter through that dispense a ticket. Meeting attendees should bring this ticket to the meeting for a validation pass that will allow free parking.

The HLAA Portland chapter is an all-volunteer support group, with monthly meetings September through May. In addition to recruiting speakers for the meetings, it publishes a newsletter and works on local projects, such as distribution of the Survivor's Manuals, speaking to interested groups (e.g., retirement homes), and other issues that members initiate and carry out. There are no chapter-specific membership dues; voluntary donations are collected at monthly meetings.

PHAC seeking members to the City’s volunteer public advisory body

The Portland Housing Advisory Commission (PHAC) is seeking new members to serve on the City’s volunteer public advisory body. PHAC advises the Portland Housing Bureau’s (PHB) Director, Housing Commissioner, and Portland City Council on a range of housing policy and program issues and consists of at least 12 and no more than 15 members.

The PHAC promotes improvements within PHB and the larger housing system, advises on issues of equity in access and outcomes for Portlanders in PHB programs, and increases the profile of PHB in the community. The PHAC functions as PHB's Budget Advisory Committee, satisfying local requirements for citizen participation in the City’s annual budget process. In this role, the PHAC assists in aligning PHB’s resources—including federal funds, local general fund, and the “Affordable Housing Set-aside” of tax increment funds generated through urban renewal — to PHB's mission. The PHAC also plays a role in federal regulatory compliance.PHAC members are expected to have expertise in housing policy and planning, affordable housing financing and development, budget oversight and analysis, resource development to maintain and expand the supply and availability of affordable housing, program development and evaluation, public-private partnership development, and community and intergovernmental relations.

Incight holding 8th Tapping Fresh Talent Career Expo on April 23rd

The 2015 Tapping Fresh Talent Career Expo will be on April 23 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Oregon Convention Center. Incight, the U.S. Forest Service and EID Passport are hosting the eighth Tapping Fresh Talent event to link employers with the skills and talents of Oregonians with disabilities and to grow inclusion with businesses needing those talents.

The career inclusion expo is the place for businesses to expand their diversity, interact with the fastest growing minority, improve their retention, recruit job seekers with disabilities, find interns and more. Workshops are scheduled for job seekers in self-empowerment, networking and resume review. More information for businesses and attendees is at the Tapping Fresh Talent website.

Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind using survey for park planning

The Oral Hull Foundation for the Blind is using a survey as part of its strategic planning to find out what people want provided at Oral Hull Park. The park was established as a recreational facility for people who are blind. The goals of this population were very different in 1962 than they are now. The foundation wants to know how the park can best meet the needs of today’s consumers.

OGA conference on creating age-friendly environments is May 1

The focus of the May 1 Oregon Gerontological Association (OGA) conference is “Creating Age-Friendly Environments: Now and in the Future.” The conference will be Friday, May 1, from 9 am to 4:30 pm at Marylhurst University, 17600 Pacific Hwy south of Lake Oswego, in Clark Commons.

The opening plenary will feature Alan DeLa Torre, OGA president, Portland State University researcher and Portland Commission on Disability member, with Adam Davis, founder and principal of DHM Research, discussing the first-time findings from the study titled “Oregonians’ Values and Beliefs across the Generations.”

For more information, including registration, please visit the OGA’s conference website here.

May 12 annual Hall of Fame breakfast features Incight awards

Incight will induct outstanding individuals into its Hall of Fame at the annual breakfast on Tuesday, May 12, at the Multnomah Athletic Club from 7:30 to 8:30 am. There will also be the introduction for the new Heart of Change award that has been created to someone whose actions and efforts align with Incight’s mission to Unlock the Potential of People with Disabilities.

Each year, Incight honors outstanding clients who are agents of change for the disability community, willing to take on new challenges, lead by example for other people with disabilities, and become a representative of the organization. All Incight Hall of Fame Members are social change agents for the greater inclusion of people with disabilities.

The Heart of Change award was created to honor someone whose actions and efforts align with Incight’s mission to Unlock the Potential of People with Disabilities. The Heart of Change Award belongs to an individual whose work influences community and busts stigma – someone who embodies everything Incight stands for and is causing a positive impact.

Visit Disability Program Facebook page for news, event postings

The Office of Neighborhood Involvement (ONI) Disability Program Facebook page features daily postings ofnews, videos, events and issues of interest to people with disabilities. Visit the program’s Facebook page to read these postings and other information posted daily on disability issues, news and concerns.

The Disability NEWS is created and distributed by the City of Portland’s Disability Program at the Office of Office of Neighborhood Involvement. The Portland Commission on Disability also collaborates and supports its publication.

To update your contact information, if you know someone who would like to receive the newsletter or if you wish to submit information for the newsletter, please email disabilitynews@portlanddisability.com. Events submitted will also be noted on the Disability Program Facebook page and featured on ONI Events calendar's list of Disability Events.

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